A mobile machine may be used to perform various types of work on different worksites, such as a construction site, a demolition site, a mining site, or a landfill site. For example, a bulldozer may be used to push soil and rock on a construction site. The bulldozer, as a track-type mobile machine, includes a tracked undercarriage with tracks on the left and right sides of the machine. Each of the tracks includes a chain formed by connecting a number of track links to one another, and connecting a number of track shoes to the chains. The tracks are supported and guided in movement by various driver, idler, and/or roller assemblies on both sides of the machine.
Operation of the mobile machine inevitably results in wear or damage to various components, including components of the undercarriage such as the track links, idler, and roller assemblies. For example, as a track assembly operates, a surface of each track link may wear away through contact with other components of the track assembly, machine, and/or outside materials (e.g., the ground). When a component experiences a certain amount of wear, the component has exceeded its usable lifetime and should be replaced. When the undercarriage as a whole experiences a certain amount of wear, an overhaul of the undercarriage may be necessary.
It is known to service or replace an undercarriage component, for example, when the component exceeds its expected lifetime (based on the age of the component or number of hours of use experienced by the component), or based on the results of inspection or evaluation of the component, in addition, wear sensors have been developed to monitor track wear. One such wear sensor is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0255354 by Hawkins et al, published Oct. 3, 2013 (“the '354 publication”). In particular, the '354 publication includes a wear sensor for automated detection of problems with the bearings or lubrication of a roller assembly that may have occurred due to track wear. While these means may be suitable for detecting normal, expected wear of a track assembly, they may be less than optimal when certain less-common types of wear occur.
One such type of wear may occur as a result of thrust bias. Thrust bias, which may be caused by a machine condition that creates a lateral force on a track assembly, may cause accelerated wear at surfaces that would not normally be expected to experience such wear. This wear may reduce the useful lifetime of associated track components, causing expected lifetimes to be inaccurate and manual inspections to occur too late to save the associated parts. Further, reliance on wear sensors, such as the wear sensor of the '354 publication, that are not adapted to detect thrust bias wear may result in the problem going undetected.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.